Can the Newly Refurbished Dodgers Pull it Together to Make a Postseason Run?

Chris Capuano  (11-9, 3.37) vs. Tyler Chatwood (3-3, 4.98)

Lineup: 

Mark Ellis 2B

Victorino LF

Kemp CF

Gonzalez 1B

Ramirez SS

Ethier RF

Kennedy 3B

A.J. Ellis C

Capuano P

When buying a brand new car, one is a bit tentative at first. You may be extra careful when accelerating or when applying the brakes. You park away from everyone else in the most distant parking lot so as not to get a scratch on the perfect and shiny paint. Yet after a few months the new car smell has worn off, and you become more comfortable with your vehicle. No longer do you spend hours washing and waxing your new toy on weekends, and before long the first scratch or dent becomes a reality. The Dodgers are sort of like that new vehicle which needs time to break in. The lineup is surely shiny and looks amazingly good written upon that lineup card, but for some reason this team isn’t producing at the level which it is capable of just yet. There’s no question that this lineup can and will produce, the question then becomes: is it too late? There’s only 33 games remaining in the season. Six of those games will be against Washington and Cincinnati, and six games remain against the first place Giants. If the Dodgers want a chance to play in October, they need to put the pedal to the metal and not look back.

Chris Capuano has exceeded all my expectations this season. I was so wrong about him during the winter when the Dodgers signed him. Although his second half hasn’t quite matched his spectacular first half (2-5 since the All-Star break), he’s still been an integral part of the Dodgers’ success this season. With the injuries which befell Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley, Cappy has been arguably the second best starter in this rotation behind Clayton Kershaw. Tonight Capuano will be going for his twelfth victory of the season. Last time out against San Francisco, Cappy lost after allowing 6 earned runs on 6 hits over 5 innings of work. On August 6th, Cappy lost to the Rockies at Dodger Stadium after allowing 2 earned runs off 9 hits in 7 innings. Cappy is 5-7 with a 3.58 ERA against the Rockies in his career.

Tyler Chatwood was pulled early last time out against the New York Mets after he

reached Jim Tracy’s pitch limit after just 3 innings. He only allowed 3 hits and no runs in the no decision. He’s only pitched 12 innings against the Dodgers and has a 1-1 record with a 3.75 ERA against the Boys in Blue. The 22-year old right-hander faced the Dodgers twice last season when he was with the Angels.

Even with the new and improved lineup, winning isn’t guaranteed. The Dodgers are now 1-2 since adding Gonzalez, Beckett, and Punto to the active roster. They sit 2 1/2 games behind in both the NL West standings and the NL Wild Card race. The Rockies have now won 7 games out of the 9 between the two clubs this season.

It’s time to be aggressive and not wait for the perfect pitch to come. There’s little time to waste. Let’s take that new Lamborghini for a spin!

The first pitch will be at 5:40 pm, and the game will be televised on KCAL. Come commiserate with us after the game!